Many current telephone handsets, particularly mobile telephone handsets, allow a user to select an alert tone sequence to be used to alert the user to incoming calls. As an example, a mobile telephone handset user may be able to choose a preferred alert tone sequence from a range of alert tone sequences stored within a mobile telephone handset's non-volatile memory. Some mobile telephone handsets additionally allow the user to procure and install additional alert tone sequences using the handset's cable or the handset's ‘air’ interface.
Furthermore, some telephone handsets may also offer additional functionality, for example, allowing a user to select and assign particular alert tone sequences to incoming calls from a particular individual or group of individuals. Typically, the telephone handset uses a network provided capability, such as Calling Line Number Identification (CLID), to determine the number of the calling party which is then associated with a pre-selected alert tone sequence. Associating an alert tone sequence with a particular CLID may provide a called terminal user with an early audio warning should a particular person or category of person happen to phone.
Whilst providing a useful capability, it appears that present customisable call alert systems have a number of limitations.
Firstly, it appears that existing customisable call alert systems provide a scheme in which only the called party is able to determine how a calling party will be announced. Thus, a calling party is unable to choose how their calls will be announced to those they call.
If a calling party was able to choose how they will be announced to a called party then the calling party might choose to be announced by an alert which was customised in some way to suit, for example, the calling party's personality, job, hobby or tastes inter alia. Such a ‘customised alert’ might also convey, for example, emotion (for example, joy, whimsy, anger or urgency) in addition to information (for example, ‘sounds like John the Builder calling’). Furthermore, a calling party might choose to have a repertoire of such customised alerts at their disposal so that their calls are announced by a customised alert appropriate to the time of day, or person called, or type of person called, or country called, or at random or otherwise as they see fit.
A second limitation of present customisable call alert systems is that they appear to support only audio based alerts. Telephone handsets are often equipped with a range of software controllable outputs including speakers, vibrators, graphical screens and light emitting devices any or all of which could also participate in the incoming call alert process.
Thirdly, existing systems often use CLID to identify pending callers, however not all networks provide CLID, and, furthermore, only some jurisdictions permit its use, and furthermore, even where CLID is nominally available, CLID information is not always able to traverse multiple operators' networks successfully. Hence, customisable call alert systems which depends solely on CLID for identifying incoming calls have practical limitations.
Lastly, CLID is typically not able to be used where the calling party has an unlisted (‘silent’, ‘ex-directory’) telephone number. However, in these cases, although a calling party may not wish their phone number to be transmitted when making a telephone call, they may be happy to be identified by other, less privacy threatening means. In particular, they may be happy to have their telephone number utilised as a part of a process which is used to select the nature of the alert used to announce their call(s) provided their telephone number is not made available to the called party's communications terminal.
It is an aim of the present invention to provide a customisable call alert system which overcomes at least some of the limitations of the existing call alert systems.